How do we help gamers overcome their biases?
As target demographics shift, a vocal minority faces a challenge.
Video games are inarguably for everyone. There are plenty of kid-friendly video games like Animal Crossing and Pokemon on the market.
There are countless JRPGs, and non-Japanese RPGs, that exist for those who want something story-rich.
Mobile gamers can also treat themselves to the insanely popular Fortnite while they’re on the go.
Just as video games exist on many different platforms, and with many different genres, so too are gamers a diverse population:
48% of women in the United States report having played a video game, while only 6% identify as gamers, compared to 15% of men who identify as gamers.
(Grundberg, Sven; Hansegard, Jens (20 August 2014). “Women Now Make Up Almost Half of Gamers” — via Wall Street Journal).
65% of all LGBT consumers play games of any type, slightly edging out heterosexual players (63%).
(Nielsen; (24 March 2014). “How Diverse Are Video Gamers — And the Characters They Play?”).
83% of African American teens report playing video games compared to 71% of white teens.
(Lenhart; (6 August 2015). “Chapter 3: Video Games Are Key Elements in Friendships for Many Boys” — via Pew Research Center).
As of 2016, the average age for a video game player is 31, a number slowly increasing as people who were children playing the first arcade, console and home computer games continue playing now on current systems.
(ESA report on the sales, demographics and usage data of the industry Archived 2018–02–19 at the Wayback Machine.)
It stands to reason that as more and more people play video games, that more diverse characters and storylines will be incorporated into the video game landscape.
However, this has created a unique problem for some.
Video game companies embracing diversity poses a problem for a vocal minority.
Contrary to many studies that show how varied the gaming community truly is, a vocal minority insists there’s something insidious afoot when companies embrace diverse characters.
Buzzword sentiments like “pandering”, “historical accuracy”, “the SJWs are ruining vidya,” and many more still find footing, even in situations they might not be applicable to.
Their unrest has not been unheard by experts, however, who’ve come up with a novel solution.
How do we help this vocal minority of gamers overcome their biases?
One expert suggests we pull back on diversity entirely.
Some passionate gamers — predominantly white, straight, cis, and male — feel their favorite hobby is being overtaken by progressive politics, the extreme left, and SJWs.
This is not to say that all the gamers who hold these opinions are white, cis-male, or straight. We do not have specific data to quantify this aside from observations.
However, based on the ideas presented by this vocal group of passionate individuals, it would be easy to surmise the demographic, says one expert:
“If more women, PoC, and LGBT+ characters being included in the video gaming landscape crafts ire, it stands to reason that these demographics aren’t at the forefront of the current backlash,” cites one expert with a PhD in BL dating sims.
As for a cause, another expert chimes in:
“Diversity can look like pandering, politics, PC-culture, and the gay agenda for those who have lost the use of their left cerebral hemisphere due to the shock of seeing a homosexual, PoC, stray female protagonist, or otherwise, in a game exactly one time,” offers another who has an MBA in the anthropological study of Fortnite Duty: Call of Overwatch.
Knowing this, what can be done about the challenges this vocal minority faces, and the actual real world ramifications present due to the biases inherent?
One accredited expert seems to have found the solution:
“Replacing every straight, white, cis-male character in video games with more diverse characters, for an indeterminate amount of time, would be advisable,” says expert Blastia analyst Mai Anne Elohssa in her latest Ted Talk.
“Perhaps if we challenge the cognitive dissonance that 1–3 diverse characters constitutes a progressive takeover, maybe we can stop having these stupid fucking conversations.”
Kira Leigh is a snarky marketing nerd, anime writer, and artist. See her work here and send her a message if you want to work together.
Special thanks to Renato P. dos Santos for his continued support.
